A new test known as the Drugalyser® is due to be introduced into police traffic proceedings in the coming year, to help police detect and tackle drug-driving offences at the roadside. With this in mind, Evans Halshaw provides this guide to how different drugs can affect your driving ability - and why you shouldn't get behind the wheel if you're under the influence.

Welcome

This guide will take you through the causes and effects of drug-driving, from how you behave on the road to how your brain and neuron functions are affected. Switch drugs using the tab on the left, and use the tab on the right to switch between your car and your brain. Hover over the blue circles for an in-depth look at what each drug does to alter your perceptions and behaviour.

Drugalyser® is a registered trademark of Modern Health Systems (MHS) Ltd. This guide is produced by Evans Halshaw and has no connection with MHS Ltd or any other organisation.

Temporal lobe

Blood vessels

Cerebral Cortex

The outermost layer of the brain, connected to various important outer sections responsible for processing sensory information.

Locus Ceruleus

Part of a system which controls physical and chemical reactions to novelty and excitement, as well as panic and stress.

Raphe Nuclei

Cluster of cells and neurons responsible for the regulation of pain and the release of serotonin to the rest of the brain.

Cannabis

Cannabis increases the user's sensory awareness, which in some cases can cause over-reaction, anxiety and panic attacks. Users may also suffer blackout memory loss, and prolonged issues with short-term memory.

Cocaine

Cocaine's long-term effects on the brain are significant, causing rapid ageing and an inability to cope with basic processes efficiently. These effects can become permanent.

LSD

The main side-effects of LSD are distorted senses and hallucinations - users are likely to see warping and colour-changing, and many find they lose sense of the passage of time. Generally speaking LSD will heighten the mood the user is already in, and can often cause anxiety and panic attacks.